It is a well known practice to provide support stands for furnaces, the stands maintaining the bottom of the furnace a fixed distance from a floor. Conventional furnace support stands, however, cannot be adjusted and it is standard practice for heating supply companies and heating contractors to maintain a stock of stands of many different sizes. In contrast, as will be seen in detail below, the furnace support stand of the present invention can be readily adjusted to provide a stable support for a furnace under varying conditions and circumstances. For example, using the furnace support stand of the present invention, the dimensions of replacement furnaces can readily be accommodated, the stand being adjusted to position the furnace at the desired location relative to the duct work and other structures associated with the replaced furnace even though there is a difference in furnace size. The furnace support stand of the present invention can be placed directly on an old stand or the old stand may be replaced in its entirety, as desired.
It is also important to note that with prior art fixed size furnace support stands even a large inexpensive inventory of different sizes might not necessarily be sufficient to accommodate the variations one encounters with regard to the furnace and related duct work, etc., requiring the installer to take time consuming actions, such as positioning shims or other supports under the furnace support stand or furnace, in order to bring the furnace to the desired elevation.
The following patents are directed to supports of various types: U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,810, issued Apr. 21, 1959, U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,538, issued Oct. 3, 1995, U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,887, issued Oct. 26, 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,171, issued Apr. 18, 1995, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,037, issued May 3, 1994. The patents do not teach or suggest the unique combination of structural elements disclosed and claimed herein.